The Amnesty Grift
by Miss Hellebore
Summary: After the Henley heist, life has gotten pretty great for Kat and her crew of teenage masterminds. But trouble always seems to find a way to catch up. Old faces, new threats, and another danger-riddled heist to perform.
1. Ponzi Arrangement

Chapter 1

_Silver Lake, New York_

It was a lovely spring day. Swans dominated the picturesque pond on the west lawns, wild flowers were just beginning to crop in the meadows to the south, and Kat Bishop sat inside the library eavesdropping on her best friend's phone conversation. Some people might be affronted at such a decay of morality and then, ultimately, what the world was coming to in general, but W.W. Hale the Fifth didn't mind and, in fact, openly encouraged this breach of privacy. He was the one who had passed the headphones over after all.

They sat at one end of a massive oak table, intricately carved with baroque patterns and curling leaves, which was covered in unrolled blueprints, opened books, letters, notes and the occasional scribble. On the other end of the table, Simon was set up with three computers, a locational imaging and drafting device, a printer, and several beeping machines that Kat couldn't place as he tapped at his keyboard mercilessly.

Simply put, it had become central command of their operations.

Hale had draped himself over his chair, his heels perched on the edge of the table, affecting his nonchalant, easily-bored rich boy act, which was hardly an act at all. When he caught Kat staring, he broke out his best knee-weakening smile and winked at her. She scowled in response, but there was no heat in it. She tapped her headphones and raised an eyebrow. _Get on with it_. His smile just widened, _Spoil sport._

At the other end of the table, oblivious to this silent conversation, was Simon. Simon was the Smartest Guy In The Room, and it didn't even matter if that room was the Mensa International Committee or even the Nobel Foundation Chair Room. This might lead an outsider to wonder why he had given his life to crime, instead of saving the world, or curing cancer, or even being the next Steve Jobs. But that outsider clearly didn't understand family. He quickly scrawled on a yellow legal pad and held it aloft for Kat and Hale to read. "Five more minutes. Ask about the futures tradings." _Futures tradings_ was underlined twice and, as if that wasn't good enough, he pointed to it with his pen and his pale face pinched to emphasize his point.

Hale simply waved him off, saying into the phone, "Yes, yes. A million is fine for small time investors, I suppose. But if the yields are as high as you say, I'd be interested in a more _substantial_ investment."

Through her headphones, Kat was able to listen to the other side of the conversation with crystal clarity as the agent from Peruzzia & Sons Securities breathed in sharply and chuckled nervously, before saying that he wasn't sure if they'd be able to do an investment on a larger scale for a first time client.

Hale frowned at this and shot Kat another glance, but he was surprised to see that she was grinning from ear to ear. Simon gave a silent go ahead, and Kat motioned him to wrap it up. Despite his apparent confusion, he told the agent that he'd liquidate some assets and move some investments around, before he hung up.

Once the call was disconnected, Kat took off her headphones and walked around the table to look over Simon's shoulder. "You got what we needed?"

"Boys and girls, we're in."

She patted her computer genius on the back. "Good job, Simon."

Hale had moved around the table as well to look down at the computer screen, but the numbers and codes that scrolled rapidly across it were meaningless to anyone but Simon. He settled for wrapping his arm around Kat's waist and pulling her back against him. "I don't see what you're both so excited about. This isn't a Ponzi."

Kat lifted an eyebrow at him, "Were you in the same room as us?"

"He topped out the investment," Hale said with a shrug. "If Peruzzia was running a scam, why wouldn't they take all the money they could get?"

"Normally, you'd be right," Simon said in his lecturing voice. "But this isn't a short con. In a Ponzi scheme, they need to give you returns so that you reinvest."

Kat nodded, "It cancels the mark's doubt. After they receive the first giant return, they're willing to invest even more in it because now they think it's a sure thing. It even worked on you, didn't it?"

Hale shook his head, grinning, "See? This is why I leave investments to other people and stick to crime. Anything else is too dangerous."

"Assuming the Bagshaws haven't mucked up their responsibility, when you hand over the money tomorrow, we'll be able to track the cash back to the mother lode. And—"

"One more win for us," Angus interrupted as he walked into the library.

"And one more lose for the bad guys," Hamish finished, walking in after him.

"Well," Angus hedged. "The badder guys." The brothers beamed identical smiles. "And what's this about 'mucking up'?"

"Yeah, one would think you could have a bit more faith in us, Kat," Hamish scolded.

"Nothing but faith, boys," Kat said as she disentangled herself from Hale's arms. "But don't think I've forgotten Johannesburg."

"Bad luck is all."

"Wasn't exactly our fault."

Kat rolled her eyes and attempted to scowl, but honestly her heart wasn't in it. Ever since the Henley, even someone with a pessimistic (she would argue _realistic_) nature like Kat Bishop had to admit that life was going pretty well. Oh, it was true that she didn't go back to Colgan and start up her finer education again and it was also true that Arturo Taccone was still out there—although wallowing in an English prison—no doubt still bent on revenge, but these were just minor details when compared with the fact that she was a part of the family again.

After celebrating the success of the Henley, everyone seemed to find their own way to celebrate. Gabrielle had gone off to Switzerland, just as she'd promised Sven, Artur, Viktor and Ulf she would and spent the rest of the winter luxuriating in ski resorts and plucking the occasional pocket. Simon went to Florida and was an unofficial consultant for his father. The Bagshaw brothers pulled a particularly inspired version of Rooster in the Hen House, but-after a talk with Uncle Eddie behind closed doors-ended up giving all the cash to a secluded convent in northern France.

And Hale took Kat and her father to Algiers, not for a job, but a much needed vacation and some family time. Kat could tell that Hale was trying to make up for his own parents' continual absence with her own family, not that she minded, and by the end of the vacation Bobby Bishop had all but forgotten that the monkey had _not _been properly trained at the time.

But once snow began to melt in earnest, Spring found all six members of the Henley crew back at Hale's mansion estate in rural New York. They never discussed it, no phone calls were made, but none were needed. It was as though all of them simply knew that it was going to happen. For better or worse, they truly were a team now. And their current target, a crooked securities firm, wouldn't know what hit it.

It had been a hard sale for a group that was mainly used to short cons, art heists, and jewelry thefts, but Simon had promised them the money was there, and as he kept adding zeroes to the end of their possible take, it became something that no one wanted to pass up. And since what Peruzzia was doing was _illegal_, Kat's crew could rob them blind, leak the story to the press, and the fraudulent firm would be brought down before you could even say "United States Securities and Trades Commission."

Hale nudged her with his elbow and Kat blinked, brought suddenly out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"Way to make a man feel unimportant, Kitty Kat."

"Show me a man and I'll make sure he knows how important he is, Angus."

"Ouch," Hale said, under his breath.

Angus just rolled his eyes, "I _asked_, fearless leader, if Gabrielle was in contact."

Simon frowned at his watch, "She was supposed to check in an hour ago." He looked worried.

Hamish said, "Don't think she's met Pete Tong, do ya?"

Kat waved off his concern. "No, I'm sure she's fine. But go ahead and start a track on her phone, Simon. Better safe than sorry."

"No need, Cousin," she heard behind her, as the door slammed shut. Gabrielle stood in the doorway, leggy and beautiful as always, but her eyes flashed with regret and standing on either side of her were two people that Kat felt she could go the rest of her life without ever seeing again. "And I think we're all about to be a lot sorrier."

It was then that Kat noticed the handcuffs.

End of chapter notes:  
* The Ponzi scheme is a real con that has been perpetrated countless times for at least the last two hundred years. In 2009, Bernard Madoff was convicted for pulling a Ponzi scheme to the tune of $68 billion.  
* Hamish was using Cockney Rhyming Slang. Pete Tong = Gone wrong. So "Don't think she's met Pete Tong, do ya?" means "Do you think something's gone wrong?" The Bagshaw brothers will probably use a lot of rhyming slang throughout this story.


	2. The Badger Game

Chapter 2

The problem with being part of one of the world's greatest families of thieves was knowing the other great families of thieves. And for Kat, that meant the Valfierno twins might just show up on your doorstop on occasion with your vapid, but ultimately dependable cousin shackled in tow. And that was worse than any calculus exam she ever had to sit through at Colgan.

"Vei and Cozen Valfierno," Hale said, shaking his head. "Didn't think you two would have the brass to show up here." He seemed utterly cool as he stared the brother and sister con artists down. Kat tried to take some strength from that fact and appear outwardly calm as well. On the inside though, she was reeling.

The twins weren't identical, but they could never be mistaken for anything but siblings. Cozen was a few inches taller, although he was still shorter than Angus, and a good deal more broad in the shoulders than his sister, Vei, who had a dancer's frame, long and lithe. They both had those piercing blue eyes-Cozen's were a few shades darker-and the coal black hair that came from their Argentinean forefathers. One might think that the pair was attractive, but this feeling quickly went away once you got to know them a little. Mean as snakes, the both of them, and as seedy as conmen could possibly come.

"Well, isn't this cozy," Cozen said, his eyes sliding across the oak table, strewn with paperwork on their latest planned heist. Simon had already shut his laptop with an audible _snap_, but they knew that the damage was already done. "You know, I heard little Kat Bishop was out of that prissy school and back in the game, but I never really believed it. I laughed in Charlie Shivers face, didn't I, Vei?"

"Yep," his sister responded, popping the P. "And now it looks like you've got yourself a team put together, Kat. Cozen and I sure were hurt that we weren't invited." She sounded anything but.

Kat tried to look down her nose at the twins, which was hard as they were both so much taller. "I'm sure you're trying to make some sort of point, which is cute, I guess. But we really don't have time for this. Want to tell me why Gabrielle is trussed up, so that you can leave the way you came?"

"Oh," Cozen roughly nudged the leggy blonde and for a second she teetered on her heels, before gaining her balance and walking over to Hamish, who already had his lock picks out. "We didn't mean it in an unfriendly way. Just didn't want old Gabby to leave us behind."

Gabrielle massaged her wrists, having the decency to look remorseful, "I'm sorry, Kitty Kat. I tried to lose them. I really did."

Kat waved off the apology as Hale moved up next to her to show a united front. "Go on, Cozen. Say your piece."

He sighed dramatically, "You try to play nice and get nothing but gloomy eyes and suspicion. Well, we know when we're not wanted, don't we, sis?" He made a motion to leave as his twin said, "Bet they're not even interested in Taccone's letter."

Kat's blood ran cold and Hale put his arm protectively over her shoulders, but it was Simon that said in a somewhat strangled voice, "Letter?"

Cozen looked over his shoulder, sporting a predatory smile, "Oh, so I guess there's a little interest after all."

Angus, who was nothing if not cheerful, actually glared at the Valfiernos, "If you two slimy back'n fronts have been-"

"Can the big talk, Bagshaw," Vei interrupted, looking entirely composed and perhaps even a little bored. "We're here to help."

"That's right. So, Hale, be a good boy and call that big brute of yours in here with a bunch of those little sandwiches and we can get down to business."

Her whole crew turned to Kat looking for some direction. She shared a look with Hale, silently 'discussing' the pros and cons, before sighing. "Fine. Let's hear them out."

The animosity between her own family and the Valfiernos did not start with Kat's generation. It was the twin's great-great grandfather who had started it. Eduardo de Valfierno was the man who planned the theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1879 and it was Kat's great-great grandmother who had made the forgery to replace it. What Eduardo had failed to mention at the time was the fact that he had _six more_ forgeries made and ready to be sold to six different buyers who all thought they were getting the real deal.

When the painting was stolen, slipped out of the Louvre under the arm of a "janitor" (Kat's several-greats uncle), Eduardo unloaded all of his fakes and left Katarina's family with the real Mona Lisa, no buyer for it, and Interpol hot on their trail. Since then, the two families didn't exactly get along, to put it lightly. The Valfiernos were blacklisted from all the major houses for decades after that.

And out of all the crooked, backstabbing, weaselly members of the Valfierno family, Vei and Cozen were considered the black sheep, if you could believe it.

Marcus brought in roast beef and watercress sandwiches piled high on platters and poured tea for the unlikely gathering of teenaged master thieves. As everyone settled in, there was an uncomfortable edge to the silence. Angus and Hamish tucked eagerly into their food, ignoring any discomfort when food was involved. Gabrielle picked at hers, having apparently regained her composure enough to look haughty and unapproachable even as she ever so slightly leaned against Simon, whose blush crept out of his collared shirt and up his cheeks. Cozen sniffed at his tea, looking vaguely disappointed by it, while Vei tore pieces from her food and popped them into her mouth. Hale ate heartily, but then Hale could _always_ eat.

Kat had no appetite and it didn't take long before she interrupted the building silence. "Well? You wanted to talk, so talk."

Vei turned to her brother, who reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver flask and gestured with it for her to go ahead. "We're not the only ones to have gotten the letter," Vei started, pulling a single sheet of paper out of her purse and handing it across to Hale. "I know Maya Saint Ives got one. Richard Beauchamp too."

Cozen didn't look up as he poured a light brown liquid into his tea, "I wouldn't be surprised if the Donaghues and DiMarcos received them too."

Kat listened, but most of her attention was on Hale's face as he read the letter. He looked up and met her eyes and that's all she needed to know how bad it was. "Kat, he..." Hale trailed off, at a loss for words. Okay, worse than bad.

"Taccone wants a bust out. He's coming to the families to help, but that shouldn't surprise you. I've even heard that some owe him enough to actually do it. The part that really concerns you, _Kitten_," Vei said as she took another bite of her sandwich. "Is that the job stipulates that you be delivered to him on the same night as the break out. Dead or alive." She said all of this as though she were talking about the weather.

"And you're here to collect?" Kat said. Her mouth was suddenly so parched that she was surprised her throat didn't crack when she spoke.

Cozen Valfierno laughed baldly at her, "Don't be ridiculous, Kat. We're not hired killers, we're con artists."

"Swindlers," Vei put in.

"Crooked as a question mark," he said with a grin. "But that doesn't mean we turn on our own."

Gabrielle snorted, rolling her eyes, "Oh, please. You two would sell out your own mother for a nickel."

Cozen feigned hurt, "Gabby, which step-daddy taught you to be so cruel?" But Vei continued, "Look, I know we've never been friends, but the simple truth of the matter is it wouldn't do us any good to come here and tell you all of this if we were conning you."

Softly, Hale asked, "Then why are you here?"

The Valfierno twins looked at each other and then back at the group. In unison, they stated, "We want in."

End of chapter notes:  
*Mona Lisa heist is a true story, but it happened in 1911, not 1879.  
*Back'n front: Actually, I can't translate this one in good conscience. It rhymes though and is a nasty thing to say about someone.


End file.
